An Unexpected Treasure Chest

Have you ever been asked to come to someone’s house to see a quilt?  You never know what you might see.  I’ve seen old poorly pieced tops that have holes, tears and stains.  I’ve seen quilts that have been used at some point to move furniture or be the bed for the dog having puppies. 

But every now and then you find a real treasure.  This is the case with the quilt you see here.   My mom was at my Great Aunts house and she said, “Come in here, I want to show you something.”  As my Great Aunt started to pull out the quilt, packed deeply in a cedar chest, she started telling the story of the quilt.   She had gotten it from her daddy, who had gotten it from his Great Grandmother.  (my great aunt is now 89)  She can’t remember when she got it, but said it was probably some time in the 1950’s.  When mom saw the quilt, she asked if she could have it.  My aunt said sure, why not and it is now my mom’s quilt.  Of course I asked to have it next and my daughter will get it when I’m gone and too old to admire it anymore.

Mom is trying to trace back the family tree to find out exactly when my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandma Booth was alive.  We know that it was pre-Civil War and the pattern is called Washington Sidewalk.   It is absolutely fascinating that the maker was so diligent in cutting the fabrics so that strips went in the right direction in all of the pieces.  She also bought yardage for the quilt background. 

If only those threads could talk….What a wonderful family heirloom for a quilting family.   This is 4 generations under a quilt that is at least 150 years old.

Saturday Morning

The husband has gone fishing, the kids are still in the bed. I have a hot cup of coffee.  There is nothing so peaceful as a quiet house in the early morning.  The only sound I hear are the clocks ticking in the family room and the keys on the keyboard clicking as I type this post.  As Ms Goodneedle would say, “Life is Good”

Why am I up so early?  Well, I placed a bid on eBay last night and went to bed before the auction ended.  My curiosity got the best of me and I had to know if I won or not.  Good news, I WON!  I am now the owner of a 1938 Singer Featherweight 221. 

I’ve been looking for a while (2 years) for the right price on one of these old black beauties.  I’ve been going to Estate auctions, antique shops and yard sales.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw this one up for auction.  I guess with the economy the way it is, people are more willing to part with their treasures for a little less money.  Anyway, dear husband said go for it and I did.

Yep, I’m dancing the happy dance this morning.   (Picture Snoopy, nose up and feet moving) Well at least in my heart anyway.  Don’t want to wake the dog or the kids.    Happy Day to all of you out there in blog land.

Heritage Quilter

The Family Tree

My mother-in-law has traced her mother's, father's, and husband's family tree back as far as she can possibly go. This was her hobby until she just didn't have any more graveyards or court houses to visit. She had a dear friend who went with her on all of these excursions. They even found out that they were related when they searched old birth and death records. She spent years researching and documenting. The result is a very well put together book that gets updated every couple of years with each birth, death and marriage. Looking back at the old pictures and copies of the documents is like looking back in time.

What does all of this have to do with quilting you ask? Well, knowing my mother-in-laws love for family and documentation, what better way to honor her than with a quilt documenting her family.

The idea came about two years ago when my father-in-law became pretty ill. He's better now, back to 100%. Well as he got better and other quilts were circling in my head, it got moved to the back burner. The spark ignited again with the realization that my husband's brother was diagnoses with a terminal disease. I was afraid that I would loose a valuable piece of this quilt with the loose of a family member and my mother-in-law's quilt wouldn't be complete.

Each member of the family had a piece in this family tree quilt, their hand. A real life sized hand, traced onto fusible web. These hands are the leaves on the family tree. Each leaf also has the name of the owner in the palm to document who is who. In the quilting below the tree, my in-laws names are quilted with the year 2008.

The youngest was about 6 months old when I traced his hand, the oldest is fifty six. All are the descendants of my mother and father-in-law. Kids, grand kids and great-grand kids. She loved the quilt when she received it on Christmas Eve. I hope you enjoy it too.

Heritage Quilter